Nice Guys Are Boring
by tgwWhale
Summary: Ichigo and Aoyama, on the rocks yet again - an old guy's take on the favorite theme for all these fanfics.  Ichigo x Masaya, Ichigo x Ryou, Ichigo x Kisshu, Lettuce x Masaya.  One-shot.  Rated M for adult situations.  Reviews welcome.


_In late 1974 or early 1975 I was in a bull session in the Math Assistants' office at college. The discussion concerned the eternal question, "Just what do women want?" I asked why girls didn't like nice guys who would faithfully bring the paycheck home, not run around, not abuse them, and all of that. One of the girls (I don't remember her name, but I do remember she had dark hair) answered simply, "Nice guys are boring."  
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_Thus arose my version of the favorite topic of this fanfiction site. Names used are the ones from the English fansubs for the Japanese anime. Rated M for adult situations. Reviews welcome.  
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The sky was gray, and the wind blew raw from the northeast. Low scudding clouds rolled by above, and a few drops of cold rain occasionally fell. It was the bitter end of autumn, and altogether too cold a day to sit alone on a park bench after school, as the feeble daylight began to fade.

Momomiya Ichigo sat alone on that bench, her red hair blowing in the whipping wind. Her body shivered with the cold. But her heart shivered far more, with a cold and loneliness that was far more bitter. Her left hand held a battered envelope; her right hand reached inside her gray coat, and ran over the swelling in her tummy. A tear fell down her cheek.

She watched the couple on the path below her. During the summer they would have been hidden by the leaves on the trees and bushes; but now the leaves were down and dead, and through the cold, barren stems and branches she could see them: a young man and a pretty girl. They did not see her; they had eyes only for each other. They paused in their walk, and the man's arms embraced the girl, and their lips pressed together. Long they kissed, and yet longer. Another tear trickled down the red-haired girl's cheek, and fell upon her coat.

She knew those two. The boy, tall and dark-haired, and handsome beyond handsome, was Aoyama Masaya. She had loved him once; he had been her first love. She had given her heart to him completely, and he to her, or so she thought. Their love had been the joy of her life, and had saved that life. For Ichigo was a Magical Girl, a Mew Mew. With her DNA enhanced by a wildcat's genes, she had fought to save the world from some aliens who would have destroyed humanity. And he had fought with her against those aliens. After he fell, her kiss had revived him, though she fell as the result. Then his kiss had revived her. She had lived for him, and he for her, back then, when the sun still used to shine, and there was joy in the world.

The girl was Midorikawa Lettuce; it was hard to hide naturally-green hair. She was taller than Ichigo, and more shapely; prettier, really, Ichigo thought bitterly. They had been friends once, and had fought as Mew Mews together against the aliens, and worked together for so long at the Cafe Mew Mew. She had always been unlucky at love, though, always falling for guys that had no use for her. Men were so stupid! But not Aoyama.

Ichigo had not come here to spy on them. She had not known that they would be here, though this park had been his favorite place to go. When she came here, she dreamed of him; now, she knew, she should forget him. He loved Lettuce, now.

The couple started walking again, and disappeared from Ichigo's sight, and one more tear trickled down her cheek.

It had been right here, the last time she had been with him. It had all changed so much! There had been a time that just seeing him had so excited her that her cat ears and tail would pop out. But that had been so long before! Now, she found him... boring. He never tried anything, never tried to cross those rigid lines he had set for himself, never once even trying to touch her any place forbidden by that old-fashioned propriety he lived by.

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_It was a pleasant day for late winter. They walked together on that same path, as they had so many times. Masaya was not looking at Ichigo as he always had, though. His eyes looked down, watching his own feet. Then he stopped, and without looking at her, he said, "Ichigo."  
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_Something was wrong; Ichigo knew that. She touched his arm, trying to get him to look at her. But he just stared at the ground. Then he said, sadly, "Ichigo, you don't love me any more."  
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_"No!" Ichigo said. "Of course I love you!"  
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_Now Aoyama looked at her. "You can't hide things from me, Ichigo. It used to be, I could feel the excitement, the joy in you. Now, I think you only stay beside me because you think it's your duty, like you owe me something."  
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_Ichigo gasped. "You're breaking up with me!"  
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_But Masaya said, "No, my love. But your heart is mine no longer, and it hurts so much to feel the emptiness between us."  
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_"No!" Ichigo said again. "It's like it always was."  
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_Aoyama smiled a small, sad smile. "Really? When's the last time your ears popped out when you saw me? It's months, Ichigo. I bore you. I can tell." His eyes began filling with tears, though he controlled himself enough that the tears did not spill out. Aoyama always controlled himself. Always.  
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_Anger rose in Ichigo's heart. "If I'm bored, it's because our relationship never goes anywhere. You never try anything, never once tried to touch me, except the same old hugs and kisses. It's clear you don't love me, don't want me anymore!"  
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_He turned away. "Don't love you? It's because I do love you that I haven't tried anything. Ichigo, we're still just kids. You're only 15. I love you, so I waited."  
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_Ichigo grabbed his shoulder and turned him back. "You just think that you have to be so perfect. Well, I have some news for you, Mr. Aoyama. Perfect is boring! We don't have any fun any more!"  
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_"At least now you admit it," he said softly. "Ichigo, my love, I..." His voice faded. He was not perfect, now. Then he swallowed hard, and forced the words out. "I always knew I wasn't good enough for you, that my love would never be enough. I'm sorry I'm not man enough for you. I know that there are many others that want you. Well..." His voice faded away again.  
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_"Well, what?" Ichigo demanded, too loudly.  
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_He looked straight into her eyes. "Well, now you... can have them. Try them all. I'm so sorry I wasted two years of your life. They were the best two years of my life. I just wish... I was good enough for you." He turned away, and kept walking.  
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_"Aoyama-kun!" she gasped; but he did not look back. She tore the bell from around her kneck - the bell he had given her, so long ago, the symbol of their love - and threw it at him. It hit him, and jingled as it struck him, but still he did not look back.  
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_It felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest. Or was it bursting out, finally set free?_

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They were back in her sight now. The path they were on led to edge of the park; they must have walked that far, and come back. Ichigo realized that something was disturbing the green-haired girl. She was sobbing softly, and he stopped and embraced her with complete tenderness. He had always touched her that way: always there when she needed him, always tender, always kind. Always kind, always tender, never... exciting.

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_She walked along the sidewalk, alone, her heart feeling empty but free. What was freedom worth, she thought, if she paid for it by losing him? But then a voice sounded above her head, a familiar voice: "Hi, little kitty. Long time no see!"  
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_And there, above her, sitting on the parapet of an apartment house, was that green-haired alien. Kisshu! She had not seen him since he and the other aliens had left after the defeat of Deep Blue. In a flash he jumped down, landed before her, and laid a kiss on her lips!  
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_"I missed you, my little kitten." His lips twisted in a smile. He tried to kiss her again, but she pushed him away. "So, you won't be my toy, yet? Still have that stupid boy-child hanging on to you?" The alien frowned. "Why don't you try a real man, for once?"_

_Ichigo tried to turn from him. "I'm not your toy," she growled. "I'm not anybody's toy."_

_He took her shoulder and turned her back to himself. "Really?" he asked. "Well, today I'll make you mine." She showed her teeth angrily, but he just continued, "Ichigo! I came back across all of space, just to get you. I can't live without you! Let me make you mine, and I'll teach you what real love is!"  
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_Ichigo turned away again. She hated the alien, but she was so lonely, now. And she didn't have to worry about Aoyama-kun any more. She shouldn't feel anything for Kisshu, or at least nothing but contempt. It was so wrong! But wrong was... exciting. She could feel her heart begin to race, faster and faster. It had been so long since she had felt such excitement! Her ears popped out, and her tail. He turned her back to himself again, and stared into her eyes with those wicked alien eyes of his, those golden eyes with narrow-slit pupil's, like a cat's. Then he kissed her again, and her blood began to boil, and all the air seemed to burst into flames around them. There was a garage there, and the door had been left ajar, and they slipped in. It was dark, and close...  
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_He began pulling off his clothes, and hers. Violently... it was all violent with him. "No!" she said. She knew it was not right. "No!"  
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_But he did not listen.  
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_When it was over, he smiled, and kissed her, and whispered, "See you again, my little kitten!" And he was gone.  
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_It had hurt more, that first time, than she thought it would._

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The cold evening grew darker. Ichigo again rubbed the swelling in her middle. That first time, she had wondered if she could bear his child. They were quite different species, after all. And apparently, she could not. At least, she never got pregnant by him...

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_He kept coming to her, always as a surprise, always where he could find a place to get her alone. He brought no gifts. They had no dates - how could she go to dinner or a show with an alien? But he kept coming. And each time he was more violent. Now he was hurting her every time, and asking her to do stranger and stranger things. She had begun to hate it, and her ears were not popping out any more. Finally, he began insisting that she transform before they did anything. He liked the ears and the tail.  
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_Then there was that night he cornered her at the Cafe Mew Mew, when everyone else was gone home, or just gone (how did he always know when she was alone?). And he had come, and demanded that she transform. She needed to talk to him. This was all hurting now; the excitement was gone. All she felt now was filthy and hurt and trampled upon.  
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_She did transform, and then she said, "Kisshu, not tonight! We need to talk."  
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_His alien eyes narrowed. "You dumping me, little kitten? Fat chance!" He seized her by the shoulders. "You're my toy, kitten. And that's the way it's going to stay!"  
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_"No!" she half-shouted. "I'm not your toy! I want to talk..."  
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_He slapped her face, and began tearing at the pink minidress that was her Mew Mew uniform. It was strapless, and he began pulling it down.  
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_And then she kneed him in the groin, and hard as she could. "I said no!"  
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_He staggered back, doubled over in pain. Then he looked up at her, his alien eyes blazing with rage and hatred. He reached out, and his two swords appeared in his hands. "For that, whore, you will pay!" And he launched himself at her.  
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_He should have realized that it was unwise for him to make her transform, no matter how much that excited him. She was ready, and he got Ribbon Strawberry Surprise, full in his face. It smashed him back against the wall, and he fell to the floor and lay in a crumpled heap.  
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_She wondered what to do with a french-fried alien. She thought of calling the police, but what could she tell them he was, and what could she say that she had done to him? She picked up the two swords where they lay on the floor. She wanted to stick them in his guts, to finish him off. But as she stood over him, she realized that she could not do that. She shivered. A month before she would never have considered killing him like that. What could she do?  
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_Then she called out, "Pai? Taruto? Is there anyone out there?" It was useless, she supposed. But if one alien was around, maybe the others were as well. And incredibly, a few minutes later the air shimmered, and the two aliens she had called transported in.  
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_She was standing over his broken body, his swords in her hands. For some reason she had not considered that the two aliens would not appreciate what she had done to Kisshu. But they did not attack.  
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_Taruto ran over to the fallen Kisshu and checked him over. "He's still alive!" he said. Then he stood up and in his hand appeared the click-clack balls that were his weapons. "You'll pay for this!" he shouted.  
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_But Pai commanded, "No, Taruto. You don't understand it all yet, but Kisshu has been asking for this for a while."_

_"What?" the child alien demanded._

_But the elder alien ignored him, and turned to Ichigo. "It is sad, but I expected this. Kisshu has been boasting of the things he did to you for quite a while, now. Even among aliens - and we are pretty rough - what he did to you was far over the line. So was boasting about it! I warned him repeatedly that this would get him into trouble. He laughed at me." He walked over to Kisshu. "Taruto, we will take him home."  
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_"Will he live?" Ichigo said. Her anger had cooled, and guilt now filled her heart.  
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_"I think so," the alien said. "We are good at healing."  
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_Ichigo breathed a quick sigh of relief, and then asked, "Will he be back?"  
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_Pai looked at her. "I suppose he might. I cannot keep him tied up. If I were you, I would keep his weapons, just in case."  
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_"That would just give him another excuse to come back," Ichigo muttered. She gave the weapons to Taruto. Then Pai lifted up what was left of Kisshu, the air shimmered, and the aliens were gone.  
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_And Ichigo fell to her knees and wept.  
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Another tear fell from Ichigo's eye and splashed upon her coat. Her back hurt from the cold, hard park bench. And she ached inside, ached from the emptiness. It was as if nothing brought joy any more. Her mother had noticed it, and even her father. And Zakuro, of course. She had noticed it a long time before the fight with Kisshu. She had looked into Ichigo's eyes, and then her own eyes had filled with tears. That wasn't like Zakuro. She didn't show her feelings that way. Ichigo had asked her what was wrong.

"Your eyes," she had said.

"What did you see in my eyes?" Ichigo had demanded.

And Zakuro had said, "... Nothing." Then she had turned away, and sobbed, and fallen to her knees.

Nothing, she had said. It was a terrible word, and Ichigo understood it, now. That was what filled her heart. Nothing. She looked down the hill, through the trees and the brush, but she could not see Aoyama and Lettuce any more. She could see... nothing.

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_Ryou called her in the next morning. She wasn't supposed to work first shift that day, since she had had lock-up duty the night before. But Zakuro had called in and said she was busy and couldn't come in, so Ryou had called Ichigo. And when she got there, Ryou showed her the mess the fight with Kisshu had left. What had happened, he demanded.  
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_Ichigo turned away from him. She had nothing to be ashamed of, she thought; but she didn't want to face him and tell the story. Yes, she was ashamed. Of what? She had defended herself from a depraved alien stalker, nothing more. But she was very ashamed. Yet, she had to say something.  
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_She turned back, but her gaze avoided his eyes. "Kisshu," she said. "He was after me again, like before."  
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_Ryou seized her arm. "You mean the aliens are back? Is it war again?"  
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_But Ichigo shook her head. "It was just Kisshu, after my body. He was getting rough with me, and I gave him a knee where it counts the most." She finally looked into Ryou's eyes.  
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_"Good! Gave that bastard what he had coming." Ryou's lips curled in a little smile.  
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_"Well, he didn't take that well, and he pulled out those swords and came after me, " Ichigo continued. "So gave him the Strawberry Surprise, full blast. Damn near killed him. That's what made the mess." She looked down again. "What do you do with a smashed-up alien? I couldn't call the cops or anything. So I called out for the other two aliens, and they must have been monitoring things, because they showed up and took Kisshu. I cleaned up the worst of the mess, and then went home."  
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_She was looking down and chewing her lip. Ryou could see clearly that she hadn't told the whole story, so he reached out and touched her cheek. "That's not all, Ichigo-san. What haven't you told me?"  
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_She looked into his eyes. His blue eyes stared into hers. He was strong, and handsome. "Oh, Ryou," she said, with pain and tears. "I've been... uh... I've been... uh... sleeping with Kisshu for months. Well not sleeping... but ... you know..."  
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_Ryou wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl and held her tightly. She seemed so stiff, as she struggled with herself, her guilt, and her shame. Then she slowly relaxed, giving in to the power of his arms.  
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_He led her up the stairs, and into his room, and sat her on the bed. Then he sat next to her, put his arm around her shoulders, and held her tightly. He was so strong, Ichigo thought. So wonderfully strong. He was here for her when she needed him. Slowly her sobbing grew softer, and the tears stopped. She felt safe here. Safe, and yet he excited her.  
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_He kissed her tenderly, and the cat ears popped out. He smiled at that, and laid her down on the bed. It was so soft...  
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_When it was done, Ichigo thought: Ryou was so much better at it than Kisshu had been.  
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Ichigo shivered again. She looked out, down the hill, through the trees. Aoyama was gone, but she could see Lettuce. It was getting dark, but it looked as if Lettuce was looking up the hill, maybe at her. Well, she thought, now Lettuce thinks I'm spying on her, stalking Aoyama-kun. She shook her head and looked at her lap again. She missed the friendship of those girls. She had quit working at the Cafe when she found out what had happened.

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_It had been summer when she and Ryou had started their affair. She had been 15 then; now she was 16. It hadn't been legal, but it had seemed so right. He had always been there for her, right? It had been summer, and now it was autumn. And she had missed a period.  
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_She had come in to work, but when Ryou had passed through, she followed him upstairs. She hesitated before knocking on his door. Why hesitate? she thought. He had always taken care of things. So she knocked; and he said, "Come in, Ichigo."  
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_He always knew when she was the one at the door. She had once thought that he knew her by the way she knocked, but now she thought that he had a surveillance camera in the hall outside his door. She had never found it, though. So she steeled her nerves and opened the door. She slipped through and closed the door behind her. For a second he smiled, thinking that she wanted to be alone, and he knew what that meant. But when he saw her eyes, he knew something else was afoot.  
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_She sat on his bed, where she always sat, and he sat next to her. His arm reached around her shoulders, and he said quietly, almost whispering, "What's wrong?"_

_She tried to speak, but the words would not come. "Ryou... my Ryou. I'm... I'm..." She could not say the word. She tried one more time. "I'm..." She choked on the word again. So she just pointed to her tummy.__  
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_Ryou's eyes popped wide open. "Pregnant?" he gasped, far too loudly.  
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_She nodded, and laid her head on his shoulder. "What can we do, Ryou? What must I do?"  
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_He quieted her fears with a kiss. He would be able to handle this, he told her. Everything would be fine.  
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It was fully dark, now. There was just a vague bit of light coming from a distant street lamp. Ichigo knew she had to go home. It was too cold; the weather was too vile. And she had school tomorrow. She clenched her eyes tightly shut, and bit her lip. Already there were stories going around school. She was starting to show, now. She couldn't hide it any more. Tears were streaming from her eyes, and her breath was coming in gasps. She clutched the envelope tightly, and ran her hand over her tummy again. Her head was bent over, just a few inches above her knees.

But she had to stop feeling sorry for herself. She opened her eyes and began raising her head, so she could stand up and leave. And then she started. There was someone else sitting on the bench to her right.

It was Lettuce. Her huge eyes seemed to shine in the darkness; Ichigo wondered that she could see them. She did not know if she should treat the girl well or badly. What did she want?

"You were watching us," Lettuce said.

Ichigo looked down. "Not on purpose. I didn't know you two would be coming here."

"I know," Lettuce said. There was more silence, and then: "You can tell me what's wrong, you know. You look like death warmed over. You need somebody."

Anger touched Ichigo's spirit. "Always perfect! Even now. Especially now, when you can rub my nose in it!"

Lettuce didn't back off, but instead lightly touched Ichigo's shoulder. "You can't keep me from caring about you, just because you left the Cafe."

More anger raced through Ichigo's heart. She wanted to fight with Lettuce, wanted Lettuce to gloat that she had Aoyama-kun, wanted to feel put-upon and sorry for herself. But Lettuce just looked sad and concerned.

And so Ichigo said, "Lettuce, I'm..." Once more, she couldn't say the word. So she just grasped Lettuce's hand and pulled it to herself, thrusting it inside her coat and running it over her tummy.

Lettuce could feel the swelling there, and she gasped. But she didn't leave. "Is it Ryou's?" she asked gently.

Ichigo nodded.

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_They had been at dinner, on a Tuesday. Ichigo was so distressed that she couldn't eat, and had begged her parents to excuse her. But they were too concerned by that time. "What is going on?" her father demanded.  
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_Ichigo knew that she couldn't keep this a secret. She would not look at them, but just stared at the untouched plate in front of her. "Mother, Father..." She knew that this time she would have to say the word. "I'm pregnant."  
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_Her father rose, his face turning quickly beet-red in anger. "A-o-ya-ma!" he screamed.  
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_His ranting went on from there, and it was several minutes before he quieted enough for Ichigo to say, "Father, it's not Aoyama-kun. We broke up long ago."_

_"Then who is it?" her father demanded.  
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_But Ichigo said, "I won't tell you. You'll get violent."  
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_"You think I'll get violent?" he shouted. And he stepped up to Ichigo, seized her arm, and raised his hand to strike.  
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_Ichigo cringed and waited for the blow; but her mother took her husband's hand, and said, quietly, "Please, my love." Ichigo's father stared wildly at his wife before storming off. He had to go hide until his anger cooled, lest he hit someone he loved._

_Ichigo's mother led her daughter to the front room, sat her on the couch, and put her arms around her while Ichigo sobbed. "What do I do, Mother?" she moaned.  
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_Her mother thought long before responding, "You know you must decide that. But remember what I told you about your childhood."_

_And Ichigo wondered: she had been born very prematurely, and had had a long struggle just to live. And her mother and father had always been there, fighting the fight as well, trying to give her the strength to live. They had wanted her. They had loved her.  
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Lettuce spoke quietly: "So you gave it up for Ryou. I could understand that, I suppose." She touched Ichigo's cheek.

"Ryou wasn't the first," Ichigo muttered. She knew that she should keep her mouth shut, but she needed to tell someone. And Lettuce wouldn't blab.

"Who...?" Lettuce asked.

"Kisshu."

_"Kisshu?"_Lettuce gasped, far too loudly. "How..."

And Ichigo told her friend the story: how it began, and how it ended.

Lettuce was shaking her head. "Kisshu..." But she was Lettuce, and she knew Ichigo needed care at that moment, not judgment. So she asked, "What did Ryou say he would do?"

"He said he'd take care of it, that everything would work out." Ichigo looked at the ground again. "Then a couple of days later, he called me up to his room. He said he had something for me! I dreamed just for a second, dreamed that he would give me a ring, that he would marry me. But when I got to the room, he just gave me this, and left." She showed Lettuce the envelope.

In the envelope were 50,000 yen and the address of a clinic.

Lettuce gasped. "Is that what you're going to do?"

"What else can I do?" Ichigo moaned. "But when I first realized it, before I told anyone, I asked Zakuro about these things. I made it sound as if I wanted to give it away for the first time, and I asked her what it was like. She told me that she'd never done it! Can you imagine, the biggest sex symbol in Japan is a virgin." In any other situation, Ichigo would have smiled at that, even laughed. But not here.

Ichigo could not imagine that Zakuro would lie to her. Their relationship wasn't like that. So she had asked Zakuro why she had stayed virgin for so long, and she had said, "Because I don't want it without love." Ichigo had not understood. The whole world loved Zakuro!

Then Ichigo's voice grew very small. "I asked her if she would ever, you know, get an... if she would ever end a pregnancy, you know? And she told me that as a kid, she was unwanted and neglected and sorely unhappy, but she still wanted to live, and her own child would want to live, the same."

Then she turned to Lettuce and looked into her eyes. "Lettuce, that's my daughter in there, and I want her, and I love her, the way my parents loved me, wanted me." It had not occurred to Ichigo that it might be a boy. It had not even occurred to Ichigo that the child's hair might not be red.

And Lettuce once again embraced her friend, and held her tightly.

And while Lettuce held her, Ichigo asked, "You know, Aoyama-kun never tried anything on me. I'm not sure I wanted to do it, but I wished he would try. I thought he loved being perfect more than he loved me. He told me that he didn't try to seduce me, because he loved me."

Tears began pouring from Ichigo's eyes. "I thought he was lying, or crazy. I was so wrong, like I always am. He... loved me. Kisshu didn't. Not even Ryou, really. Kisshu only wanted my body - his toy, he called me. Ryou - maybe he hasn't really loved anyone since his mother died. I don't know, but once he found out I was... pregnant, there, I said it... the warmth was gone. He wasn't mean like Kisshu, but he didn't love me. Aoyama-kun really loved me - and I threw it away." The tears trickled down both cheeks.

But Lettuce said, with deep sadness: "No, Ichigo. You have it all wrong." For a second Ichigo stopped breathing. Then Lettuce continued, "You're all wrong to say that he loved you."

"No... no..." Ichigo gasped.

Lettuce stared full into Ichigo's eyes. "It's wrong to say he loved you, because he still does. He _loves_ you, Ichigo."

"But he's your boyfriend now!" Ichigo said. "He loves _you_."

But Lettuce just sighed, and tears began trickling down her cheeks, also. "He tries to love me, he tries so hard. But he cannot escape you. He keeps taking me to places that remind him of you. And I can see that faraway look in his eyes when someone mentions your name. I can feel the sudden stiffness in his body when I am holding him, and someone says 'Ichigo.' I can hear him sigh, when he simply sees strawberries. And I looked in his locker, once. There, right in the front, on the top shelf - that damned bell! He can't let go of it. He never says your name - he's far too kind to me for that - but he still loves you. He worships you. And he'll never love anyone else. He'll never love... me." Lettuce broke down, crying uncontrollably.

"He wouldn't love me now, carrying Ryou's child," Ichigo muttered.

Lettuce, still crying, shook her head. "Ichigo, he would love that child to his last breath, because that child is yours."

Ichigo than whispered, "Sweet, sweet Lettuce. I have so wronged you, so hurt you. You wanted Ryou, but I was in the way, and so I hurt you. And now you love Aoyama-kun, and I'm in the way again. You must really hate me!"

Lettuce whispered back, "I've tried to hate you. It's so hard to be around you! When you walk into the room, no one notices the rest of us! Even Zakuro - she knows you're the star, not her. I've tried to let my jealousy turn to hatred, but I love you, too, as a friend, I mean. No matter how much we try not to, we all love you."

Through her tears Ichigo forced a small smile. "Mint hates me."

Lettuce gave a tiny smile in return. "So she does. At least her jealousy is stronger than the rest of ours."

Then they grew silent. A cold mist settled down on the world, making the cold, dark night even colder and darker. The two girls embraced each other even more tightly, to keep out the cold.

And Lettuce asked, "What are you going to name the kid?"

THE END.

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_Author's concluding note: The national age of consent in Japan is 13. But in Tokyo it is 17 - the statutory age varies throughout Japan. So Ryou is breaking the law when he has his affair with Ichigo, unless he is under 20 (the age of majority in Japan). I am not sure of his age in the anime; but the implication is that he is of upper high-school age, maybe 17 or 18. Ichigo's age is identified as 13 in the anime, and she is 15 (turning 16) in this story. Ryou would be either 19 turning 20, or 20 turning 21. I don't know if what Ryou does is illegal if he's under 20.  
><em>

_I don't know what abortions cost in Japan. They are not paid for by the national health service; people have to pay for them themselves (according to Wikipedia). The current exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen is about 76 yen to the dollar - so a yen is a little more than a penny. So the 50,000 yen Ryou gives to Ichigo is about 658 U.S. dollars. This may or may not be enough to pay for an abortion in Japan. I don't know._


End file.
